 |
Dimensions:
3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long, 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) wide, and 2.3 meters
(7.5
feet) high
Weight: 601 kilograms (1,325 pounds) at launch, consisting of 515 kilograms
(1,135
pounds) spacecraft and 86 kg (190 lbs) fuel
Power: 2.8-meter-by-2.8-meter
(9-foot-by-9 foot) solar panel providing up to 750 watts,
depending
on distance from Sun. Power storage via small 16-amp-hour
rechargeable
nickel hydrogen battery
Impactor
Dimensions:
1 meter (39 inches) long, 1 meter (39 inches) in diameter
Weight: 372 kilograms (820 pounds) at launch, consisting of 364 kilograms (802
pounds)
spacecraft and 8 kilograms (17 pounds) of fuel
Power:
Non-rechargeable 250-amp-hour battery
Nucleus
shape: Elongated, irregular
Nucleus
size (estimated): 14 by 4.6 by 4.6 kilometers (9 by 3 by 3 miles)
Nucleus
mass: Unknown; possibly about 1 trillion kilograms (roughly 1 billion
tons)
Nucleus
rotation period: About 41.85 hours
Nucleus
composition: Theory and observations of other comets suggest silicate dust
(~25%),
organics (~25%), ices (40%), other material (10%)
Launch: Jan. 12, 2005
Launch
site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch
vehicle: Delta II 7925 with Star 48 upper stage
Earth-comet
distance at time of launch: 267 million kilometers (166 million miles)
Comet
impact: 1:52 a.m. EDT July 4, 2005 (time subject to adjustment)
Earth-comet
distance at time of impact: 133.6 million kilometers (83 million miles)
Total
distance traveled by spacecraft from Earth to comet: 431 million kilometers
(268
million miles)
Closing
speed of impactor relative to comet nucleus at time of impact: 37,100
kilometers per hour (23,000 miles per hour)
End
of mission: Aug. 3, 2005 (30 days after impact)
Program
Cost: $333 million total (including launch vehicle) |
NASA
- Deep Impact: Quick Facts
